Being an expat in this part of the world gives me the privilege to travel to places I previously could only have dreamed of or read about in travel guidebooks. I have been living in the Eastern Province for more than two years now, and I knew very little about Riyadh, so I recently decided to travel to the Kingdom’s capital and see it for myself over a weekend.

The event was the second edition of Saudi Film Days, sponsored by Ithra, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, in collaboration with the Saudi Films Festival. Each screening included a panel discussion with Saudi and us film directors. Here are the highlights.

Speaking on the opening day of the Offshore Northern Seas (ONS) 2018 conference, Nasir K. Al-Naimi, vice president of Petroleum Engineering and Development with Saudi Aramco, underlined that the energy industry’s short-term challenges should not come at the expense of long-term goals.

Saudi Aramco has awarded today the first large-scope integrated services contract for its Marjan oilfield – the first of three major offshore expansions in Saudi Arabia, and the company’s largest upstream development project this year – to Baker Hughes, a GE company (BHGE). Under the contract’s terms, BHGE will provide drilling services, coiled tubing services and drilling fluids engineering services in Marjan.

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, was selected for Time magazine’s premier World’s Greatest Places 2018, a compendium of “100 destinations to experience right now.” Featured in the August 24 issue, the list highlights 100 sites spanning six continents and 48 countries, selected across a range of categories and evaluated for quality, originality, innovation, sustainability and influence.

Abqaiq The Friendly City Gazette is a free monthly publication published by the Southern Area/Central Region Community Services Department for Saudi Aramco employees and dependents in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia.

Abqaiq The Friendly City Gazette is a free monthly publication published by the Southern Area/Central Region Community Services Department for Saudi Aramco employees and dependents in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Aramco Upstream Technology Company (SAUTC), a Saudi Aramco company, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Russia’s Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) to promote cooperation in the area of joint research, primarily to explore oil and gas industry innovation with specific focus on upstream technology.

Going places and taking in the sights is a good way to break out of your routine, and Saudi Arabia offers no shortage of sightseeing opportunities. Fortunately, Jazan is well placed for employees to be within easy reach of two hill stations in the Kingdom — Al Fayfa and Al Soudah — and earlier this month, Jazan Refinery Complex (JRC) management organized a trip to these hill stations.

With origins as a plain headdress meant to protect from the sun in summer, from cold in winter, and from wind and dust in the desert, the kufiya is traditionally woven in black or red thread in several well-established patterns. Called kufiya (kuh-FEE-uh) mainly in the Levant, it is known by other names in other regions—ghutra, shamagh or hattah, most commonly.

Saudi Aramco, the world's leading integrated energy and chemicals company, released today its 2017 Annual Review highlighting strategic achievements that reinforce the company’s role as the number one producer of crude oil and condensate, adding value by integrating refining and chemicals production, and expanding cleaner natural gas supply to meet domestic demand.

Dhahran — After 34 years with Saudi Aramco, Mahboob Mohamed is bidding farewell to the company. Mahboob joined Saudi Aramco’s IT User Services in 1984. One year later, he moved to the Maintenance Systems Group as a business systems analyst in the Maintenance Resources Planning Department, where he provided corporate maintenance system support to all operating plants companywide.

Regional winners of the “Aramco Asia Energy Cup” — qualifiers from China, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and South Korea — gathered for a key event in the Chinese capital of Beijing for the final contest after one year of intense competition, careful selection, and evaluation of the researchers’ innovative projects.

Khalid H. Al-Dabbagh was appointed senior vice president of Finance, Strategy & Development by Saudi Aramco Board of Directors, effective Sept. 1, 2018. Al-Dabbagh has been the company’s financial controller since January 2012. He was responsible for Saudi Aramco’s global accounting activities, issuance of the annual financial report and the maintenance of effective internal controls.

In Madinah, pilgrims are being provided with all they need for their convenience and care, under the direct supervision of Prince Faisal bin Salman, governor of Madinah, and Prince Saud bin Khalid Al-Faisal, deputy governor of the region.

Saudi Aramco Technologies Company (a Saudi Aramco company), Mazda and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) today announced a cooperative research program to develop advanced engine/fuel combinations, with potential for meaningful improvements in engine efficiency and CO2 reductions assessed on a well-to-wheel basis.